If your in Sicily next week and if my paintings clear customs in time, you will see 8 of my paintings!!! I was asked to participate in an incredible new art festival in one of the most beautiful city's, Scicli. The curator of the event is Antonio Sarnari who runs an exceptional gallery of contemporary art. he is also the son of a famous Sicilian artist, Franco Sarnari. What was a very happy coincidence for me was that 2 years ago I saw a special exhibition of Franco Sarnari's work and really enjoyed it-bought the catelogue etc. So when I saw his work last year at the gallery 'Tecnica Mista' in Scicli I told the gallery director how much I liked his work..yada yada yada..it turned out that Franco Sarnari was his Dad, he then generously gave me some books. A very good friend of ours( Gratzie Corrado!!!!) shows at this Gallery and recommened me and my work for this show and to be included as one of the artists in the gallery. So I just shipped them 8 smaller paintings I did in 2009. I selected these paintings because they are somewhat transitional work. they were painted when I really wasn't painting and they were painted when I was experiencing such intense greif. When I rediscovered these works while thinking about what I would give to this gallery and show, first I thought they were not not my strongest work. But I was still drawn to the "not so strong" element and I read the writing and looked at the lightness of materials. They are so fragile and the writing is so raw in that moment of dysfunction and questioning. I decided these works are powerful in their testimony of my truth in that period, they are markers. They were weak. They were a transition. They were a breath. They were honest in a moment when I didn't know what that looked like. Their strength is in their fragility and humble marks. Hopefully they make it, which is a whole other saga......another thing for me to learn about. How the fuck to ship to Italy and it arrive there!
